sustainability and corporate social responsibility:
People and their safety come first at Gusmer Enterprises, Inc.
As a family business that now spans five generations, we understand the importance of utilizing our environmental resources wisely so that our world is safe for future generations of all people. Gusmer is committed to not only focusing on “sustainability”, but also creating a culture that is focused on corporate social responsibility, so that we are benefiting our entire community in addition to our employees. We seek to continuously improve so that all people have opportunities to grow and develop.
We are thrilled to share that Gusmer Enterprises is a proud participant in the United Nations Global Compact. In doing so Gusmer has committed to advancing the UN’s Ten Principles on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption and will integrate these principles into our strategy, culture and day-to-day operations. This exciting step aligns us with a global community dedicated to sustainable and socially responsible practices. The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, encouraging businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and report on their implementation. Gusmer is excited to engage with this initiative to advance the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations
Nov. 2024 – The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council has recognized Gusmer Enterprises, Inc. at the Maturing level within its Green Masters Program®. Recognizing Wisconsin businesses that are prioritizing sustainability, the Green Masters Program® categorizes participants into four status levels that reflect the degree to which sustainability has been integrated into their business model: Adapting, Advancing, Maturing, and Green Master. Maturing status signifies that an organization is effectively engaging in sustainability, has identified and is improving its performance in most material sustainability issues, and is integrating systems to manage its performance in those issues.
The Green Masters Program is a comprehensive tool that helps businesses define, prioritize, measure, and manage their sustainability performance, integrating sustainable practices into their core operations. Aligned with internationally recognized standards, it drives continuous improvement and sustainable success. For over fifteen years, the program has helped companies build credible and impactful sustainability initiatives.
Earlier this year Gusmer became members of EvoVadis, a globally recognized platform used by businesses to track, benchmark, and identify areas for improvement in relation to four key sustainability areas: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. Over the past few months, we have filled out the EcoVadis “action tool” assessment with our own policies and procedures to be evaluated in each of the four key sustainability areas. We are pleased to share we have received a Bronze rating on our initial submission. To celebrate our completion of the assessment, EcoVadis will be planting a tree on Gusmer’s behalf through their partnership with One Tree Planted. We are excited to have successfully completed this initial assessment, and we look forward to our continuous improvement in these key sustainability areas.
We are thrilled to announce our new membership with the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council (WSBC)! “The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council’s mission is to advance sustainable principles and practices forward through the power of business.” The WSBC is a subsidiary of Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP). In 2022, Gusmer will be a part of WSBC’s new pilot program for the Green Masters Program. The Green Masters Program is a recognition and assessment program for Wisconsin businesses interested in improving and being recognized for the sustainability initiatives.
Gusmer Enterprises is committed to ethical and sustainable business practices. As part of this commitment, we expect our suppliers to operate in a manner consistent with our values. Our suppliers form an integral part of our network, and we expect that they commit to ethical and sustainable business practices. We believe that compliance with all applicable laws is the foundation for sustainability. In addition to compliance, we encourage suppliers to make continuous improvement as they identify new and innovative ways to create value and mitigate risk in the three interconnected dimensions of sustainability: people, nature and risk. Our suppliers are expected to have read and agreed to this code of conduct in full – and to act accordingly at all times.